Internal audits in private medical laboratory practice – a Finnish experience in 1996–2000

Internal audits inherently effect quality improvement, and concrete results can be expected by careful planning. As audits should improve the quality system in situ, the development of audits should not be neglected. ISO/IEC 17025 describes the objectives of internal audits and management reviews in more detail compared to the former standards EN 45001 and ISO/IEC Guide 25, although the main features are unchanged. This addresses continuous surveillance of the current practice. A brief questionnaire on vertical audits was distributed to 74 of 120 employees at a Finnish private medical laboratory, Medix Laboratories Ltd. A positive feed-back was received from the current management of audits. However, the study revealed that continuous supervision of audits is needed. Many employees were not willing to perform audits if they had no previous experience. Additionally, audits performed at the workbench were not considered as the best possible for fruitful discussions. Received: 20 February 2001 Accepted: 30 November 2001     

Purification and partial characterization ofRhizomucor miehei lipase for ester synthesis

A commercialRhizomucor miehei lipase was purified by ammonium sulfate precipitation. Phenyl Sepharose 6 Fast Row hydrophobic interaction chromatography, and DEAE Sepharose Fast Flow anion-exchange chromatography. The recovery of lipase activity was 32% with a 42-fold purification. The molecular size of the purified enzyme was 31,600 Dalton and the pI 3.8. The enzyme was stable for at least 24 h within a pH range of 7.0-10.0, and 96.8% of the enzyme activity remained when kept at 30‡C for 24 h. Further, about 10–30% of the lipase activity was inhibited by K⁺, Li⁺, Ni⁺, Co²⁺, Zn²⁺, Mg²⁺, Sn²⁺, Cu²⁺, Ba²⁺, Ca²⁺, and Fe²⁺ ions and by SDS, but EDTA had no effect. Under the experimental conditions, the optimum temperature for the hydrolysis of olive oil was 50‡C (pH 8.0), and for the synthesis of 1-butyl oleate, 37‡C. It was concluded that hydrolytic activity of lipase alone is not a sufficient criterion for its synthetic potential. The optimal molar ratio of oleic acid and 1-butanol was 2:1 for 1-butyl oleate synthesis. The 1-butyl oleate yield was unaffected by purification of the enzyme after 12 h.     

X-ray photoelectron spectra and structure of cobalt compounds with N-heterocyclic ligands

The electronic structure of cobalt complexes with bi-, tri-, and tetradentate ligands and the mutual influence of ligands in them have been studied by X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy. The Co2p, N1s, and O1s photoelectron spectra have been studied. Unlike low-spin Co(III) complexes, the high-spin Co(II) compound exhibits a strong satellite line in the Co2p spectrum. For the high-spin Co(II) compound having unpaired 3d electrons, the Co2p _1/2-Co2p _3/2 spin-orbit splitting is larger than that in the low-spin Co(III) complexes. All cobalt complexes under consideration contain strongly bound dioxygen, which can be considered an inherent structural unit.     

Carboxylated and decarboxylated nanotubes studied by X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy

Carbon nanotubes (CNTs) of the conic and cylindrical structure were studied by X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy in the initial state and after carboxylation and decarboxylation reactions. The O=C—O and C—O groups were revealed on the surface of the chemically modified samples. It was found that both the carboxylated and decarboxylated cylindrical CNTs contain a smaller amount of oxygen than the corresponding conic CNTs apparently due to differences in their structures.     

XPS study of the electronic structure of heterometallic complexes Fe2MO(Piv)6(HPiv)3 (M = Ni, Co)

Heterometallic complexes Fe₂MO(Piv)₆(HPiv)₃ (M = Ni, Co) have been studied by XPS. The complexes are identified as high-spin complexes with metal atoms in oxidation states M(II) and M(III). A change in the ligand environment of metal atoms has an effect on both the energetic state of metal atoms and the XPS pattern. The substitution of a Co atom for the nickel atom in the heterometallic complexes changes the XPS pattern of iron and their magnetic state. For the Fe₂MO(Piv)₆(HPiv)₃ complexes, quantum-chemical calculations have been performed at the density functional theory (DFT) level. In combination with XPS and magnetochemistry data, the quantum-chemical calculation demonstrates that the Fe, Ni, and Co atoms in the trinuclear complexes are in the high-spin local state and that the ground state is dominated by antiferromagnetic exchange interaction.     

Synthesis and structure of complexes of some d metals with 10-(2-benzothiazolylazo)-9-phenanthrole (HL). Crystal and molecular structures of [CdL2] · DMF

The coordination compounds of cadmium(II), zinc(II), nickel(II), cobalt(II), and copper(II) with 10-(2-benzothiazolylazo)-9-phenanthrole (HL) were isolated in the crystalline state and studied. The crystal structure of the cadmium complex [CdL₂] · DMF was determined by X-ray diffraction. The ligand is attached to cadmium in the form of anion functioning as an O,N,N-tridentate chelating ligand; this is accompanied by a change in its isomer form. The Cd configuration is a distorted octahedron.     

Crystal and molecular structure and electronic structure of a copper(II) complex with 10-(1-phthalazinylazo)-9-phenanthrol (HL) [Cu2(L)2(H2O)4](ClO4)2

The [Cu₂(L)₂(H₂O)₄](ClO₄)₂ compound (I) have been synthesized by the reaction of 10-(1-phthalazinylazo)-9-phenanthrol (HL) with tetraamminecopper(II) perchlorate, and its crystal and molecular structure has been determined by X-ray crystallography. The L anion acts as a tridentate chelating ligand and is coordinated to the Cu atom through the O(1) atoms of the phenanthrenequinone moiety, the N(1) atom of the phthalazinyl moiety, and the N(3) atom of the azo group to form two five-membered chelate rings. The coordination polyhedron of each Cu(1,2) atom is completed to a prolate tetragonal (4 + 1) pyramid by two water molecules with the O(2)(H₂O) atom in the axial position. The molecular and electronic structures of the HL molecule and [Cu(L)(H₂O)₂]⁺ ion have been determined by the density functional theory method. The results of quantum-chemical calculation are shown to fit well to the values found by X-ray crystallography.     

Scaling Up DNA Origami Lattice Assembly

The surface-assisted hierarchical assembly of DNA origami nanostructures is a promising route to fabricate regular nanoscale lattices. In this work, the scalability of this approach is explored and the formation of a homogeneous polycrystalline DNA origami lattice at the mica-electrolyte interface over a total surface area of 18.75 cm² is demonstrated. The topological analysis of more than 50 individual AFM images recorded at random locations over the sample surface showed only minuscule and random variations in the quality and order of the assembled lattice. The analysis of more than 450 fluorescence microscopy images of a quantum dot-decorated DNA origami lattice further revealed a very homogeneous surface coverage over cm² areas with only minor boundary effects at the substrate edges. At total DNA costs of € 0.12 per cm², this large-scale nanopatterning technique holds great promise for the fabrication of functional surfaces.     

Quantum-Chemical Simulation of the Structure of Charge-Transfer Complexes of 9,10-Phenanthrenequinone Nitro-Derivatives with Phenanthrene. Crystal and Molecular Structure of 1 : 1 Complex of 2,4,7-Trinitro-9,10-phenanthrenequinone with Phenanthrene

Russian Journal of General Chemistry - Data on the structure and properties of charge transfer complexes of nitro derivatives of 9,10-phenanthrenequinone (acceptor) with phenanthrene (donor) were...     

Synthesis and physicochemical properties of 9,10-phenanthrenequinone monoxime and its nitro derivatives

Phenanthrenequinone monoxime and its mono-, di-, and trinitro derivatives were synthesized. The acidity constants and their variation with the number and position of nitro groups were determined. The electronic and IR spectra of the nitro compounds were studied. The bands in the electronic spectra were assigned based on quantum-chemical calculations in the Pariser—Parr—Pople approximation. Correlations between the pK _a values and some calculated characteristics of the compounds under study were found. Translated fromIzvestiya Akademii Nauk. Seriya Khimicheskaya, No. 6, pp. 1106–1110, June, 1999.